A Guide to Spending Time and Money Consciously in Baltimore

EDITOR'S NOTE: Conscious is teaming up with This Good World to share a monthly guide all about spending time and money consciously in cities and towns all across the US. Find out more about This Good World and check out their feature here.

This Good World: We are a search + discovery platform for businesses doing good things and we're bottled up with excitement to share these handpicked stories with you. Follow us at This Good World.

Next stop on the Conscious Magazine x This Good World bus: Baltimore.

Charm City has seen some recent troubles and some negative media attention, but that by no means defines this great city. So, if you:

Consider Baltimore home

Are visiting and want to support a few places that care about the things you care about, or

Dig discovering stories of businesses committed to doing good things regardless of where they are, please check out these fine B’More-based businesses and nonprofits.

UNION CRAFT BREWINGBaltimore, MD

“Beer Unites!” That’s the motto of this community-focused craft brewery in the Woodberry neighborhood in B’more. They believe good beer can help bring together a community of good people. We couldn’t agree more.

If you find yourself in Baltimore this weekend, or any weekend for that matter, grab your friends to swing by the Union Craft Brewing taproom for a pint or two. You can even bring in your own grub or order in from a nearby restaurant or food truck. Good conversation and good times will ensue.thisgoodworld.com/unioncraftbrewing | unioncraftbrewing.com | @unionbrewing

ZERO LITTERBaltimore, MD

Unfortunately, there’s a trash epidemic in Baltimore. Fortunately, there are some good people doing something about it.

Zero Litter is a NGO in Baltimore dedicated to cleaning up the city’s streets--literally. This initiative’s goal is to implement a comprehensive plan with 100% residential, business and public sector buy in to make Charm City a zero litter city.

One example is a movement to add lids to all city trash cans. It seems simple, but blowing trash from cans placed out by the road accounts for a huge portion of litter in the city. They’ve also introduced legislation to ban unsolicited newspaper delivery, phonebook delivery, the use of styrofoam food and drink containers and much more. They accept donations on their site, so we highly encourage you to throw them a few bucks to help rid the city of trash.thisgoodworld.com/zerolitter | zerolitter.com | @zerolitter

SOLAR GAINESBaltimore, MD

You don’t have to be Elon Musk to be getting excited about the solar energy movement these days. While certainly not a new trend, it’s definitely one that has picked up steam for both residential and commercial power.

One company in Charm City is helping to push this very movement forward. Solar Gaines is a renewable energy provider that designs, sells, installs and finances both residential and commercial solar projects.

We all deserve a second chance. A B’More nonprofit is providing so many with that additional go around. They provide “green collar” jobs in the form of taking apart buildings that would otherwise be demolished and dumped in a landfill. The resources and materials from these buildings are then repurposed and resold to the public at a discount. All proceeds from these endeavors go to funding job training and workforce development programs for those in need who have been negatively affected by the employment barriers facing Baltimore residents.

It’s pretty clear they take the name “Second Chance” very seriously. Not only providing new opportunities for those in need, but also giving a second chance to materials that would otherwise go to waste. In fact, they’ve diverted more than 4 million pounds of building materials away from a landfill and back into good use.thisgoodworld.com/secondchance | secondchanceinc.org | @secondchanceinc

WOODBERRY KITCHENBaltimore, MD

Farm-to-table is a (thankfully) growing and thriving movement in the restaurant scene. There were certainly come pioneers driving this. One of those, it can be argued, is Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore. This place was farm-to-table before that practice of sourcing locally and responsibly was given a name.

Built into a repurposed factory, the restaurant has partnerships with over 50 local farmers and producers—all growing, sourcing and practicing ethically and sustainably. They call these partners “local heroes.” If you’ve tasted the food, you’d certainly give a high five endorsement to that name.thisgoodworld.com/woodberrykitchen | woodberrykitchen.com | @WKrestaurant

WRITE NOTEPADSBaltimore, MD

There are certain companies that begin with sustainability, social responsibility and community impact ingrained in their business DNA. Write Notepads is one of those businesses. We’re extremely fortunate to say Write Notepads was in the very first batch of companies listed on the This Good World map. Once you dig into this company, you’ll know exactly why.

Made with 100% post-consumer waste materials, FSC certified paper stock and plant based inks, these notepads and writing accessories are gorgeously designed in their studio with a quality that’s hard to match.

Perhaps even better? For each notepad they sell, they donate one to a Baltimore public city school. The notebook you purchase comes engraved with a code that you can use to see exactly where your matching notepad donation is going. That’s accountability. That’s impact.thisgoodworld.com/writenotepadsandco | writepads.com | @WritePads

If you’re interested in checking out many more businesses in B’more doing amazingly good things, check out the full collection at thisgoodworld.com/baltimore. And, if you’re looking for a super simple way to explore, bookmark, share and submit businesses doing good things, sign up for your own free TGW account. See you next month for our next Conscious City Guide!

FROM THE EDITOR
At Conscious, we are inspired by remarkable people, and so we set out to tell stories that highlight real human interactions and human dignity. You can read more stories like this when you pick up your copy of Conscious Magazine. Subscribe today via our Conscious Shop and subscribe to Conscious Updates.